Recipe File: French Onion Soup

I absolutely love French Onion soup and had never thought of making it at home-that is, until I had a bunch of onions that needed to be used. This recipe was fantastic, and I’m sure I’ll be making it again and again!

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

5 onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

scant 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp flour

2 quarts beef broth

1 small baguette, sliced

1/2 lb grated Gruyere (or Swiss) cheese

Directions

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Add the balsamic vinegar. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn’t burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you’re ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere or Swiss and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.